[artist id="1230385"]Maroon 5's[/artist] new, Joseph Kahn-directed "Misery" video is many things — almost all of which are violent.

"The cool thing is, when Joseph wrote the treatment ... after reading a few sentences, I thought it was really amazing," M5 frontman Adam Levine told MTV News on the set of the video. "Because it kind of turns the whole idea of the sexual energy between two people — a guy and a girl, a music video, you've seen that a million times — that exists in this video, but it's turning it on its ass and having the girl be the more domineering one who's trying to kill me."

"We decided to focus on violence instead of sex this time around," bassist Mickey Madden added.

"We like to switch it up," Levine joked. "The next one will be about drugs."

We'll just have to wait and see about that. In the meantime, we have "Misery" to look forward to. The band shot the clip with Kahn last week in Los Angeles, and from the sound of things, it's going to be very different from anything M5 have done in the past.

"I think it's going to be fun. I just had my first harness experience. That was very interesting. I got lowered onto the street, in the middle of traffic, because I fall off a building," Levine laughed. "I'm curious to see how it turns out. A lot of falling and violence [so far]. I've already been beaten up and thrown off a building today. We'll have to see what comes next."

And while the "Misery" video is a new look for the band, the song itself — the first single from their upcoming Hands All Over album, which hits stores September 21 — mines familiar territory. Set over a decidedly funky beat, it's Levine documenting the decay of yet another relationship, something that even he will admit has become his bread and butter in recent years.

" 'Misery' is about ... the desperation of wanting someone really badly in your life but having it be very difficult. Kind of what all the songs I write are about," he smiled. "I'm not treading on new ground, but I think a lot of people — including myself — deal with that all the time. Relationships are difficult, and it's good therapy to write about them."

Are you looking forward to the "Misery" video? Let us know in the comments!